Speed-density type of fuel-metering control



Dec. 30; 1952 H. sou: ETAL 2,523,509

SPEED-DENSITY TYPE OF FUEL-METERING CONTROL Filed May 17, 1946 2 SHEETS-Sl-lEET 1 awe/M9041 Harold 60/0 Norman Mar: David M. Straight Patented Dec. 30, 1952 SPEED-DENSITY TYPE OF FUEL-METERING "CONTROL Harold Gold, East Cleveland, Norman Matz, Cleveland; and David M. Straight, Lakewood,

Application May 17, 1946, Serial No. 670,406 Claims. (Cl. 123-119),

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as "amended'April'30, 1928; 3709; G. "757) This invention relates to fuel metering dev e and more particularlyf'to fuel metering d ices for internal combustion iengines'of the spark 1gnition'type. 1

' In engines of the type referred to, the rate of flow of, air to the engine, is determined loyj the parameters can intake manifold, pressure, (b) intake manifold temperature, ,(clf exhaust manifold pressure/and (d) cranksh ft speed. The relation between the. rate'of new or 'air'and the parameters may be expressed as a function of intake manifold pressure, exhaust manifold pressure, and intake-manifold temperature, multiplied by a function of engine speed.

For best operating {results and to prevent wastage of fuel, the rate offfuel flow must be made to .vary in accordance with uariations in the rate of air flow. The relation between rate of air flow and the parameterswhen multiplied by the fuel-air ratio willgive'fuel flow ratio required for engine operation. Forproper engine operation from idle to maximum power, the 0p timum value of the fuel-air ratio 'varies on changes in power outputfas is hereinafter explained.

The rate of fuel flow through a controlling orifice, which follows thelaw 'of' the orifice, is the effective area of the orifice multiplied by the square root of the pressure drop'across the orifice.

According to the invention, fuelflow rates for engine operation are obtained by setting up a pressure differential proportional to the square of'engine' speed and applying this differential pressure across a Variable-metering orifice. The area of the variable-metering orifice is adjusted by the parameters, intake-"manifold pressure, in-

take-manifold temperature, and exhaust manifold pressure. For proper engine operation, a certain value of' fueliair ratio is required for. each combination of these parameters. The area of thevaiiable meterin'g orifice is so varied according, to these parameters and also according to the iuel-air ratio corresponding to these parameters that'the proper fuelflow rates are maintained. This'can be seen by referring again to the law of the orifice, Where in'this invention the effective areaof the orifice is equal to the product of fuel-air -ratio and a iunction of the parameters, intake-manifold pressure, intake-manifold temperature, and, exhaustmanie fold pressure, and the pressure .drop across'the orifice is prepor'tional to the square .of engine speed. The fuel new then a function or the engine em ears me i a si e-Ma he at- 2 i n the s u re o "en i e spe d mul ip ies by; a function oftli'e' para ters,lintake-maniifold pressure, intake-manifold temperature, and" exhaust manifold pressure, and multiplied by fuel air ratio, as was mentioned before, a desired.

Automatic fuel-flow controls have been devised that operate in aceordance with the same engine parameters as thisinvention, but notineorpo rate means for compensating for the yaryin-g effects of certain of the parameters or compensate for them with considerable complications that tend to detract from over-all control accuracy.

The invention consists of a differential-pressure regulator supplied by fuel under, pressure and loaded by centrifugal weights 'responsive'to engine speed; a variable-area-metering orifice positioned by. a pressure-sensitive means subject to intake-manifold pressure, a gas pressureprdportional to intake-manifold temperature anda fuel pressure proportional to exhaust-manifold pressure; and a f uel -discharge-pressure "regulator loadedlby exhaust manifqld pr ssure and a Spring r The invention consists of a combination or a minimum number of components ior metering fuel to the engine. The adv tages of the in vention are that no servo I ehanisins, cams, packing seals, or mechan c'l linkages are required. This eliminates hysteresis'or friction drag and lost motion as "often occurs in mechanical or 'camlinkages, and the invention is such that all "shaftsa're positivelysealed against fuel leakage hqut the frictional drag of packings. Nofuel-return lines are "essary as occurs in the use of servo-mechanism 'A change" in engin sp ed directly results in a change in (inferential pressure. fl'l e areaoi the variable-metering orifice is directly adjusted by the pressure-sensitive" element? These advan; tages result in an immediate change inf f flow with change inany of "the parameters, t us eliminating the necessity of an acceleration r 1 I, ,L in

An object of this invention is to meter fuel a c rd g o t ario Par meter that is eligine speed, intake-manifold pressure; intakemanifold temperature, and eXhaust ma-nifold pressure, and to correct th fuel lie to sine to accoun i'bi the volume ric cienci asitvaries'with nesped. The inventionpitovides three means of adjustns the ruerfiow' to compensate for varying a a? sa s iii-haiidea im this t e simplicity of the control. One method is to introduce an additional constant load on the differential-pressure regulator either aiding or opposing the load applied by the centrifugal weights. The additional load is applied either by providing seal diaphragms of unequal areas, or by the addition of a spring load. Aiding the centrifugal load corresponds to a decrease in the volumetric efiiciency with increase in engine speed; and opposing the centrifugal load corresponds to an increase in the volumetric efficiency with increase in speed. A second method of compensating for a variation of the volumetric emciency is to introduce a resistance valve in series with the variable metering orifice. This effectively reduces the effective area of the metering orifice by a constant amount. The third method of compensating for a variation of the volumetric emciency is accomplished by making use of a characteristic of the loading spring in the fuel-discharge-pressure regulator. An increased spring rate of the loading spring will cause the fuel pressure of the fuel flowing to the regulator to vary with the fuel-flow rate. Since the pressure-sensitive element which varies the area of the variable metering orifice is sensitive to this pressure, a resulting change of metering-orifice area will occur. By use of any or all of these compensating means, individually or mutually, it is possible to meter the correct amount of fuel to the engine to account for a variation of the volumetric efficiency. The relation of volumetric efficiency to engine speed depends rimarily on the design of the engine to which it is desired to fit the control.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, we have provided improved details of structure, preferred forms of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a portion of an internal combustion engine of the spark ignition type having installed thereon a fuel metering device embodying the features of the present in- Vention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the differential regulator and variable metering orifice employed in the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the engine intake manifold showing a temperature sensitive means employed in the device;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View of a discharge regulator employed in the device; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a portion of a modified form'of differential regulator.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

In Fig. 1 there is shown schematically at Ii! a portion of an internal combustion engine that comprises a cylinder Ii, an intake manifold i2, an exhaust manifold 13, a piston Hi, a connecting rod I5, a crankshaft l8, and a fuel line H. The intake manifold is equipped with a throttle valve l8 and the fuel line contains a pump IS. The structure and operation of the foregoing elements may be conventional and do not per se form a part of the present invention; hence they are not described in further detail.

The fuel metering device, with which the present invention is concerned, is installed in the fuel line between the fuel pump and the intake manifold. The device comprises first a differential regulator, one form of which is designated generally as 29 and is shown in detail in Fig. 2.

The differential regulator includes a housing 2i within which are a first fuel chamber 22 and a second fuel chamber 23. Fuel is admitted to the first chamber from the fuel line through a pressure control valve 24 that includes a valve body 25 fixed to the regulator housing 21 and a reciprocable stem 26 slidably supported in said housing in bearings 21 and 28. The ends of said valve body are open to form metering orifices 29 and a pair of tapered plugs 30 are fixed to the stem 26 in cooperative relation to said orifices in such manner as to vary the effective area of the orifices on reciprocable movement of the stern. It is seen that the effective area of the orifices is increased to permit flow of more fuel on longitudinal movement of the stem to the left, as viewed in Fig. 2, and decreased on movement to the right.

Means are operatively connected with the stem so that its longitudinal position is such that the fuel pressure differential between the fuel in the first chamber 22 and that in the second chamber 23 is a function of engine speed.

Such means include a shaft 3!, axially aligned with the stem 25, and rotatably mounted in the housing 2 I, preferably on ball bearing assemblies 32. Keyed or otherwise fixed to the shaft 3! is a gear 33 that meshes with a gear 34 on the crankshaft l5 (Fig. 1). The shaft 3| is thereby rotated at a speed directly proportional to the engine crankshaft speed. A transverse support member 35 is fixed to the shaft and a pair of centrifugal weights 36 and 31 are pivotally con nected to said support member (Fig. 2). The stem 26 has a cup-shaped bearing member til affixed to the end adjacent said weights and a bearing plate 39 is rotatably mounted in said member. The plate 39 has a diametric groove in its outer face and the weights carry arms s0 and ll that have contacting portions riding in said groove. Preferably the arms extend a sub stantial distance from the pivot point in order that the distance between the contacting positions thereof and the pivot points is sufficiently great so that adjustment of the stem is effected by only a slight movement of the weights. This arrangement is desirable in order that the axial force acting on the stem remains substantially constant regardless of the longitudinal position of the stem within its range of movement.

Fuel in the first chamber 22 may be considered as unmetered and is under a higher static pressure than fuel in-the second chamber 23, which fuel may be considered metered. The centrifugal force applied to the stem 26 by the weights is directly proportional to the square of the engine speed and is balanced by the static pressure differential between the fuel in the two chambers.

The stem 25 has rigidly secured thereto flexible diaphragms .42, 43, and 44, the peripheral edges of 'which are secured to the housing 2!. The space between the diaphragms 43 and 4e communicates with the second fuel chamber 23 through an open duct 45. The fuel in the space 45 is therefore under substantially the same pressure as the fuel in the second chamber 23. The space 4'! to the left of the diaphragm 42 and the space 48 to the right of the diaphragm M are connected to the exhaust manifold l3 through a tube 49 and a duct 50 respectively that communicate to a, tube 5! tapped into said manifold (Fig. 1).

It will be appreciated that the exhaust manifold pressure as applied to the differential-pres sure regulator 20 serves only as a reference pressure and the forces resulting therefrom acting oniistem 2614111. canceloneanother. 'I'hisis; tine: regardlesstofianydifference"between the effective area of diaphragms Miami: 44.

When" theeffective area of. diaphragm: 42 is equal to the: effective area ofdiaphragm M; the.

becomes necessary to adjust the. fuel-flow rates to compensate foriit. This is done by: aiding: or opposing the: centrifugal. weight-load with; a, con.- stant load. Theresul'ting pressure diiferential between unmeteredi and. metered fuel would. then be an amount proportional. to the 1 square: of: en.--

gine speed plusior minus'a constant; The resulting fuelfiowto. the. engine would then vary: in a hyperbolicirelation with engine speed. The mag.- nitude and direction ofth'ei constant load is determinedby the characteristics. of the engine to which it is desired to fit the control.. For example,an': engine with a characteristc of increasing volumetric. eificiency with. increase. in engine speed requires: a constant load opposing the centrifugal load on the stem 25. This is obtained by making the effective area of. diaphragm 44 larger than the effective area of. diaphragm d2. This causes an unbalance of. the forces resulting from the fuel pressure. acting on diaphragms d2 and id with a resulting load acting to the right in Fig- 2 opposing the centrifugal load.

For an. engine with a characteristic of decreasing volumetric efficiency with increase in engine speed a-similar analysisis followed with the effective area of diaphragm 42 greater than the effective. area of diaphragm In either case, it will be appreciated that the load applied. to stem 26 caused by inequality of diaphragm areas will at all engine speeds be a constant. load. Therefore when the forces acting in the. differential regulator reach a condition of equilibrium and the stem 26 isbrought to rest, stabilizing the flow through the. valve 24, the static-pressure diif'erentialbetween chambers 22 and 23 is a function of engine speed, that is, proportional to the square of engine. speed plus or minus a constant differential pressure depending on engine characteristics'.

From the chamber 22 the fuel flows into the chamber 23 through a variable metering orifice 52. The latter comprises a hollow valve body 53 fixed to the housing 21 and having apertures 54 in its sides through which fuel may enter said body, and apertures 55 in its ends adapted to function as metering orifices. A stem 55 is supported for reciprocable movement in the housing and carries tapered plugs 57 cooperable with 6,1 meanszmotshownl. ewfunct omo the valv 5B.1is.;1t0:.aid, inadiusting the correct fuel fiow rates; to; the. engine. when the control is compensated for change in volumetric efficiency by theimethod of loading the differential regulator 20;as previously; described or by the method involving; the, discharge regulator 84 hereinafter describedorythe combination ofthe two methods.

A. metering valve. control assembly, designated generally; as 59,.is securedto the housing zi'. The assembly 59 includes acylindrical housing til having an end closure: plate 6;!

A thrust collar; 62 is, threadedly engaged in the housing, 60 for; longitudinal adjustment therein andxhasanaxialabore 63jthatrotatably and slidably receivestheend of theystern 56 and is perforated, aszindicatedattd, topermit pass age of gasesintotheinteriorof the housing 6t. A bear; ingp1ate;65,a1so.adapted tofunction as abellows head-, is fixed tosaid-J stem intermediate its ends and withintherhousing. 69. Outer findjinner; con centric:- extensible bellows 66, and iii are flxedte said bearingplateaand; to thehousins Z The; stem 56. has longitlldinal grpoves; fill in its '1 sides to. furnish communication. e w n e chamber 23 and the space within the inner bel- Iowa 6]. Fuel. in.the,.space ,wit hin the inn-er bellows isthus under. substantially the ame p i sureas fnel'in. the: chamber; 23 audit; is seen that increasein such: pressure tends to lengthen the bellows, to move thestem; 5,8 to the left and thus decrease; theeifective area of theorifices 55. As explained hereinafter, fuel pressure within the chamber 23 varies as the pressure within the exhaust manifold.

A compressionspring 69; extends between the thrust collar. 62 and the bearin plate 615 and a second compression spring, 10 extendsbetween said. bearing plate and the. adjacent wall of the housing 2]. The. degree of compression of said springs. may: be adjusted by manual rotation of the thrust collar, and the latter has a spindle ll projecting. through the, closure plate 6!. and equipped with. a manually operable handle 12 for elfjecting such adjustment.

The space. within the. housing 6!} outside of the outer bellows 66 is exposed to the engine intake. manifold pressure,,, being connected to the intake manifold pressure I2 by a tube l3 (Fig. 1). Such, pressure acts on, the exposed face of the bearing plate 65, and it is. seen that increase in intake manifold pressure, such as occurs on increased power output, tends to compress the bellows to. move the stem 55 to the right and thus increase the effective areas of the orifices; 55.

Provision is. made. for varying the pressure in the space between the outer and inner bellows in accordance with, variations, in the. temperature of the intake manifold. The intake. manifold containsan annulartemnerature bulb Hi preferably located between the. throttle valve it and the cylinder II, and connected to the housing ill by a tube 15 (Fig; 1).. The housing 2! contains a duct 15 communicating between the end of said tube and, the. space. between the bellows.

Fig. 3 shows the details of construction of the preferred form of temperature. bulb. The bulb includes an outer shell 11, the inner surface of which is covered by a layer of heat insulating material 16. An annular section of heat conducting material I9 forming an annular sealed bulb space is secured concentrically to the inner surface of the heat insulating material ii. The bulb is secured to the manifold by means of a pair of annular flange members 89 and ill af- 7 fixed to the manifoldsections. In order not to impede flow through the manifold, the inner surface of the section it is flush with the inner surface of saidmanifold.

The bulb space in the section 19, which is heat insulated by the layer It, contains a gas and communicates with the tube 35. It is apparent that the pressure of the gas within the bulb varies with its temperature which is equivalent to the temperature in the manifold. Increase in such pressure acts on the bearing member 65 to move it toward the left as viewed in Fig. 2 to decrease the effective area of the orifices 55.

A stop pin 82 is preferably secured within the bore 63 of the thrust collar 62 in position to engage the end of the stem 55 to limit movement to the left thereof to thereby permit some flow of fuel through the orifices 55 when the engine is idling regardless of the other forces acting on the stem. Preferably the stop pin is longitudinally adjustable so that the fuel-air ratio during idling may be manually varied as desired.

As shown in Fig. 1, from the chamber 23 the fuel flows through a line 83 into adischarge regulator 84 mounted on the intake manifold i'l outside of the throttle valve [8 The structure of the preferred form of di charge regulator is shown in detail in Fig Said regulator includes a hollow body 85 having a portion 86 of reduced diameter adapted to be received within the intake manifold The hollow space within the body constitutes a chamber 8'! to which the line 83 communicates through a suitable fitting 83.

The outer end of the body 85 is closed by a cap 89. A diaphragm 95] is secured across the chamber 81 between said body and said cap. A stem 9!, having longitudinal grooves 92 and tapered tip 93, is secured to said diaphragm. The inner end of the body has an orifice 9 that communicates between the chamber 8? and the intake manifold and said tapered tip extends intosaid orifice. The effective area of the orifice is varied on longitudinal movement of the stern, being increased as the stem is moved upwardly, as viewed in Fig. 4, and decreased on movement downwardly. A tube 95 communicates between the space within the cap 89 above the diaphragm 9B and the tube connected to the exhaust manifold. A compression spring as is fixed in said space and bears against said diaphragm tending to move the stem 9i downwardly.

It is thus seen that fuel in the chamber Si is under a static pressure proportional to the pressure in the exhaust manifold plus that exerted by the spring 96, and that the effective area of the orifice 94 is decreased on increase in exhaust manifold pressure. Since the chamber iif in the discharge regulator and the chamber 23 in the differential regulator are connected by the open line 83, fuel in the two chambers is under subacting on the head 65 is controlled by the elastic modulus of bellows 53 and 6? and springs fit and'lii.

The distance moved by the stem for a given change in any of the aforementioned temperatures and pressures is proportional to the force resulting therefrom. The ratio of the distance moved by the stem in response to a change in intake manifold pressure to the distance moved in response to an equal change in. exhaust manifold pressure is equal to the ratio of the crosssectional area of the bellows 65 to that of the bellows 6']. The ratio of the distance moved by the stem in response to a given change in intake manifold pressure to the distance moved in response to a given change in intake manifold temperature is controlled by the pressure-temperature ratio of the gas within the bulb l4.

The ratios of the distances moved by the stem 56 for changes in the values of the engine parameters are made proportional to the relative contribution of the parameters to engine air flow. For each position of stem 55 there is a definite combination of the parameters, or a definite air flow, and for each value of this combination of parameters there is a predetermined optimum value of fuel-air ratio. The tapered plugs 5? are so shaped that the effective area of orifices 55 at all times are such that the optimum fuel rate to the engine as determined by fuel-air ratio and engine air flow is maintained. At idling or low engine speeds the value of fuel-air ratio is increased by contact of the stem 56 with stop pin 82 preventing closing of the orifices 55 beyond a predetermined point. At intermediate or usual operating speeds the value of fuel-air ratio is substantially constant'with respect to the parameters and air flow. As the engine speed approaches maximum power output or maximum air flow the fuel-air ratio must be increased. This enrichment occurs when the combination of parameters causes the stem 53 to move toward the right until the orifiecs 55 are'nearly wide open. This enrichment is accomplished by shaping the tapered plugs 57 such that the effective area of the metering orifices 55 increases more rapidly with movement of the stem 56 to the right after a predetermined position is reached.

As hereinbefore pointed out, increase in pressure in the exhaust manifold moves the stem 9| in the discharge regulator downwardly to decrease the area of the orifice 94. Such decrease is necessary to compensate increase in static pressure of the fuel within the chamber 8i, since such increase in pressure would normally tend to increase the rate of flow through said orifice. Actually such increase should decrease the feed of fuel to the engine and does so by tending to decrease the effective area of the orifices 55.

If it is desired to provide richer Or leaner fuel mixtures, the thrust bearing 52 may be adjusted within the cylinder 68. It is evident that adjustment to the right increases the effective orifice openings to provide richer mixtures and adjustment to the left does the reverse.

The positions of stem 56 according to the values of engine parameters as described will. provide correct fuel-flow rates to the engine provided its volumetric efficiency does not change with speed. To correct for variations of volumetric eificiency with changes in engine speed the differential pressure across the variable metering orifices 55 may be altered as hereinbefore described or the position of stem 55 may be altered by use of variable fuel pressure acting in small bellows 5?.

A substantial spring rate of spring as in the discharge regulator 84 will reflect in an appreciable rise in pressure of fuel in chamber 8?, line 83, and chamber 23 as the fuel-flow rate increases. This moves stem 56 to the left as the pressure in chamber 23 acts on the area of the small bellowsifil. 'Thiswilltend todecrease'the area of the variable"meteringorifices 55. This action "of the "control may .be used to compensate for a, decrease in volumetric efiiciency of the engine as :engine 'speed increases.

In the modified construction of differential regulator shownin Fig... 5, the connection betweenthe regulator and the exhaust manifold is eliminated and'thefunctions'thereof are accomplished by spring means within :the regulator. Except-for the elimination of the connection, the modified form of regulator is installed in an enginefin the same manner asthe regulator shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The modified'regulator includes; a housing er having a firstfuelchamberifit. Fuel is admitted to said chamber'from a'fueliinese, duct its, and pressure control valve-ml. said valve includes 'a valve body 1152, having 311101111161 orifice I03, anda valve stem [*04- mountedtfor reciprocable movement in thehous'ingand "having a tapered plug "35 jfixed thereto cooperable with said orifice for varying the effective area thereof on reciprocable movement of saidstem. :It is seen that the effective areaof the orifice is-increased on movement of'the stemtoithe left, as viewed in Fig. 5, anddecreasedon movement to the right.

A shaft I06, axially aligned with the stem, is rotatably mounted; i-rrthehousing and is equipped with centrifugalweights-lill and lot and driving gear I09 engageable with a gear on the engine crankshaft. The .stem. is equipped with a bearing member H and'the'latterwith a bearing plate Ill rotatably mounted therein and engageable with the Weights IBfha-nd 168 for varying the position of the stem in response to variations in engine crankshaft speed. The shaft, weights, bearing member,-and bearing plate are substantially similar to the corresponding elements in the regulato-rshown in Figs. 1 and 2; hence they are not "described in further detail.

1. "A diaphragm 1 i2 is-fixedadja-cent itscenter to the'stem HM and'aroundtits periphery .to the housing, therebyforming'a pressure chamber (4 i 3. The latter chamber is connected to. a second fuel chamber, not shown-butsubstantially similar to the second .fuel .chan1ber..23 in the regulator shown in'FigsT and'2. The pressure of fuel within the chamber l I31 is substantiallyequal to the pressure in the. second chamber and the latter isrin "lturnsubstantially equal to that in the discharge. regulator.

A cap I I4 is secured to the housing and a thrust bearing member H5 threadedly engaged therein for longitudinal adjustment and is axially aligned with the stem I04. A collar H6 is secured to the end of the stem and a compression spring H1 bears between said thrust bearing member and said collar. The degree of compression of said spring may be varied by longitudinal adjustment of the thrust bearing member within the cap.

The difierential-pressure regulator of Fig. 5, exclusive of spring I I1, is completely balanced as was the regulator of Fig. 2 when the seal diaphragms 42 and 44 were of equal area. The spring II! is included to aid or oppose the centrifugal force acting on stem 184 to obtain the same effect on the diiferential pressure between chambers 98 and H3 as the unequal diaphragm areas did in the regulator of Fig. 2. The spring applies a substantially constant load on the stem I04 and serves to correct the differential pressure for variations of engine volumetric emciency the United States of Americafor governmental purposes without the payment -ofany royalties 7 thereon ortherefor.

*What we claim is: iwln-an internal combustion engine having a fuel source, a :fuel metering device comprising a differential regulatorhaving first and second for admitting fuel to saidqfirst chamber fromcsaid fuel sourceand asecond cri-fice means of variable area for admittin -fuel from said first chamber to said second chamber, said-second orifice me n formin th onl admission. Op n n to said second chamber, a tubular connection ineluding a single series "duct ,between the first chamber and said second orifice, and a manually controlled valve positioned within said tubular connection, said -diifergntial regulator including meansflfor varying the area of saidfirst orifice indirect response to variations-in engine speed 7 and. pressure .id i entie bet een s d ch hers anden n exhaust m i q dand means for varying "the area of said second orifice in ,responseto. variations in engine intake manifold temperature .and pressure.

[2...A valve, and apparatus fonpositioning the valve inrelation tothree-reference pressures, an automatic.pres u rreeul tine means e .0119 of said reference pressures, said positioning apparatus comprising two" bellows, one larger "than theother, fastenedand sealed concentrically to two parallel heads, said .first head rigidly fixed relative to j body of said valve and said second he d ree t .move e sa ib ll are. caused to pa o ontra t. a jfluts sh pa s n th ough aid f s h a an li ab y held i a bearing therein, said bearing being concentric ri hsa ,be lowsm ensfias en sa d shaft to ai s con headoau ne t to, move the ewith. means connecting said. shaft tothe moving element of said valve, passages in said valve body so arranged that pressure of fluid on downstream side of said valve is communicated through flutes in said shaft to inside of smaller of said bellows, means communicating flow from said valve to the said automatic pressure-regulating means and the inside of the smaller bellows to cause the pressure of the fluid on the downstream side of said valve to increase or decrease equally with said first reference pressure, thereby causing said valve to move by virtue of motion of said bellows with change in pressure inside smaller of said bellows, a fluid-tight housing enclosing said bellows, means communicating said housing to said second reference pressure whereby said valve is caused to move by virtue of motion of said bel lows with change in said second reference pressure outside of larger of said bellows, means com municating to the chamber formed between said two bellows to said third reference pressure whereby said valve is caused to move by virtue of motion of said bellows with change in said third reference pressure in the chamber formed between said two bellows.

3. Apparatus for controlling a pressure differential across a restriction to fluid flow comprising an inlet valve having a stem fixed to the valve for movement therewith and extending in both directions along the path of movement of said valve, said inlet valve opening into a first chamber which is enclosed on one side by a first diaphragm fastened and sealed to said stem and on the opposite side by a second diaphragm of larger effective area than the first, said second diaphragm fastened and sealed to said stem, a second chamber enclosed on one side by said second diaphragm and on the opposite side by a third diaphragm of effective area equal to that of the first, said third diaphragm fastened and sealed to said stem, said stem extending beyond said third diaphragm to contact loading means, means for conveying fluid from said first chamber to said restriction and means communicating said second chamber with downstream side 7 of said restriction, means communicating outer sides of said first and third diaphragms to a common pressure, whereby the balance of forces is such that the difference between the pressures in said first and second chambers bears a straight line proportionality to the load applied to said stem.

4. A fuel-metering device for internal combustion engines comprising a variable metering orifice and a differential regulator for controlling pressure drop across said variable metering orifice, said pressure drop being a function of engine speed, said differential regulator including an engine corrected shaft, centrifugal loading means mounted on said shaft, and a constant loading means aiding r opposing said centrifugal loading means to modify said pressure drop to meet engine fuel-flow requirements including conditions of varying volumetric eificiency, said constant loading means including a chambered housing in which said shaft is mounted for sliding movement, two axially displaced diaphragms mounted between said shaft and housing, one diaphragm being larger than the other in flexible area, and common fluid pressure connections to opposite sides of said diaphragms.

5. A fuel-metering device for internal combustion engines comprising a variable metering orifice and a differential regulator for controlling pressure drop across said variable metering orifice, said pressure drop being a function of engine speed, said differential regulator comprising an inlet valve having a stem extending in both directions along the path of movement of said inlet valve, said inlet valve opening into a first chamber which is enclosed on one sideby a first diaphragm fastened and sealed to said stem and on the opposite side by a second diaphragm of larger effective area than the first, said second diaphragm fastened and sealed to said stem, a second chamber enclosed on one side by said second diaphragm and on the opposite side by'a third diaphragm fastened and sealed to said stem, said stem extending beyond said third diaphragm to contact centrifugal loading means, means for conveying fluid from said first chamher to said variable metering orifice and means communicating said second chamber with the downstream side of said variable metering orifice, means communicating outer sides of said first and third diaphragms to a common pressure, said first and third diaphragms being of unequal effective areas, whereby the balance of forcesis such that a constant load acts on said stem aiding or opposing said centrifugal loading means to modify the pressure difference between said first chamber and said second chamber to meet engine fuel-flow requirements including conditions of varying volumetric efficiency.

HAROLD GOLD. NORMAN MATZ. DAVID M. STRAIGHT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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